1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates generally to remote computing environments and, more particularly, apparatus and a method for selectively connecting a user interface of a computer to a local computing resource when operating offline or bridging the user interface to an online computing resource.
2. Background
Modern work habits require an ability of users to utilize computer resources in various environments, i.e., desktop, mobile, remote, and the like. As such, users are demanding the ability to flexibly utilize their office computer resources. One such technique that supports this flexibility is the use of virtual computing environments.
Products such as ACE, Kidaro and Moka5™ LivePC maintain a “permanent” version of an end user's virtual machine on a server. The virtual machine can migrate to other remote devices, but processing of the virtual machine moves to that other remote device. Typically, such virtual systems limit the virtual machine to being “checked out” to one device at a time to maintain data consistency. Consequently, using a terminal device, a user can use the computing resources of a virtual machine via wide area network or local area network connections.
In other remote computing environments, a user utilizes a local keyboard, video, mouse (KVM) that is selectively coupled to a local computer or a remote computer via an IP network. More specifically, KVM over IP products, such as those manufactured by the likes of AVOCENT Corporation, comprise a switch enabled to direct a sub-set of user interface signals (Keyboard, Video and Mouse) to either a local computer or another computer on an IP network. These systems provide limited bridging of KVM and no bridging of peripherals to the various computers.
Therefore, there is a need in the art for a method and apparatus that enables a user interface to be selectively connected to either local computing resource or a remote computing resources.